France cannot approve military actions by US, Israel: Macron

PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the military operations launched by the United States and Israel were conducted "outside international law" and could not be approved by France.

In a televised address on the situation in Iran and the Middle East, Macron said the conflict triggered by the strikes carried out by the United States and Israel was now spreading across the region, posing serious consequences for peace and security.

Macron confirmed that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is being dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the deteriorating situation in the region. The vessel had been in Sweden for military exercises.

He said the frigate Languedoc and additional air defense assets are also being deployed to Cyprus. The British air base at Akrotiri on the southern coast of Cyprus was hit by a drone early Monday.

The French president added that France had responded immediately, shooting down drones "in legitimate defense" from the "very first hours of the conflict" involving Israel, the United States and Iran.

On Sunday, French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin said on social media that a hangar at France's naval base, located adjacent to an Emirati base, was struck in a drone attack targeting the port of Abu Dhabi. The damage was limited to material losses, and no injuries were reported.

Macron also announced that the first two flights repatriating French nationals from the war-affected Middle East would arrive in Paris on Tuesday evening.